July 12, 2023 at 1:00 PM
Minor Notes: Draft, transaction frenzies
MLB Draft
The MLB Draft wrapped up on Tuesday, as up to 22 new minor leaguers will join the Boston organization, should they sign contracts. It was Devin Pearson's first draft as amateur scouting director and he was able to secure a consensus top-10 prospect in Kyle Teel, a catcher from Virginia, with the No. 14 overall pick, along with Rhode Island native Zach Fogell out of UConn in the 18th round. Overall, the Red Sox selected just five high schoolers, along with a junior college player and 16 from four-year colleges. Overall, the Red Sox selected 12 pitchers and 10 position players.
The Red Sox have until 5 p.m. on July 25 to sign each of the 22 draftees and have a bonus pool of $10,295,100 with which to sign them but can go up to $10,809,855 without losing any draft selections. However, the organization will need to pay a 75 percent tax on the overages.
Check out the news page for our rapid reaction podcast on the first night of picks, a write-up on each of the selections in the first 10 rounds, and plenty of other content.
Futures Game
The 2023 All-Star Futures Game was called after just seven innings and the American League squad was shut out by a score of 5-0, but there were still solid performances by Red Sox farmhands. Marcelo Mayer started at shortstop and had one of his team's six hits, notching a single and a stolen base before being lifted and eating a grasshopper. Nick Yorke, who also earned a start, was 1 for 3 with a double. Shane Drohan, originally the organization's third representative, was removed from the roster for precautionary reasons after cramping in his last start. He was replaced by hard-throwing Luis Guerrero, who struck out the only batter he faced to close the seventh inning.
Transactions
There was a ton of movement this week, even as the midseason break began. The transactions didn't stop on Independence Day, as James Paxton was placed on the paternity list and Garrett Whitlock hit the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. They were replaced by Brandon Walter and Tayler Scott. They both remain in Boston, as when Paxton was activated, he took Kaleb Ort's spot, who also went on the injured list with right elbow inflammation.
Several farmhands also came back from rehab assignments, including Jeremy Wu-Yelland and Gilberto Jimenez, while Enmanuel Valdez, Sterling Sharp, Mikey Romero, and Tyler Esplin each were activated from the injured list.
A few players departed the organization, as Ryan Sherriff was designated for assignment on July 7, one day after he was activated from the injured list. He elected free agency on July 10. Sherriff had struck out five batters in 6 2/3 innings for Boston this year and pitched to a 2.82 ERA in 22 1/3 frames in Worcester. Devlin Granberg also retired on July 9 as a result of a back injury that prematurely ended his 2022 season and prevented 2023 from ever getting started. Granberg was a career .285/.368/.442 hitter across 1,529 minor league plate appearances.
Corey Rosier, OF, Portland Sea Dogs
7 G, 24 AB, 9 H, 2 2B, 3 HR, 5 R, 6 RBI, 3 SB, 3 BB, 5 K, .375/.444/.833
Rosier (pictured, top) had a great week and was near the top of the system in several counting stats, tying with a few others for the lead in hits, in addition to home runs and stolen bases. The outfielder also was one of the system leaders in RBI.
Acquired in the Jay Groome deal, Rosier has solid contact skills and plus-plus speed, which were on display this week, as he recorded a hit in each of his seven games. However, he doesn't have much power potential because of his swing design but does get the most out of his tools.
Chih-Jung Liu, RHP, Portland Sea Dogs
1 G, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 10 KLiu (pictured, bottom) made it a clean sweep at Double-A for players of the week this week. Binghamton was no match for the right-hander, who scattered just four hits and struck out 10 hitters in his start this week. The 10 punchouts were top among pitchers with just one start this week, while Grant Gambrell only pitched more innings in a lone outing.
Liu may move to the bullpen, as his stuff is inconsistent from start to start and his stuff may play up in shorter stints. He has thrown as high as 98 mph with his fastball, but it has limited movement. His best pitch is the slider, but it's inconsistent. His development has also been strongly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as he was signed as an international free agent in October 2019 and the season was postponed before he was able to get on the mound.
Photo Credit: Corey Rosier and Chih-Jung Liu by Kelly O'Connor